1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to artificial, i.e., non-natural, lighting systems, and more specifically to wiring harnesses for low voltage lighting systems.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Many American homes have outdoor decks or patios. Even if the decks are not significantly elevated with respect to the ground, they often feature railings. The railings are supported every few feet by vertical posts, often consisting of four-inch square lengths of wood. For new construction, American construction codes call for the spacing between adjacent posts to be not more than six to eight feet.
Americans enjoy their decks and patios. Among other reasons, they enjoy the outdoors without having to venture far from home. In recent years, it has become possible and desirable to provide lighting of the deck or patio area so that people can enjoy their decks and patios after sunset.
Manufacturers have responded to this demand by selling lighting for decks or patios. The kits are intended for installation by contractors or do-it-yourselfers. These kits suffer from a number of shortcomings.
Decks come in all kinds of different designs, but lighting manufacturers prefer to sell a standard kit. Thus, their kit tends to be generic, with the homeowner or installer left to customize the kit. In practice, this means that the homeowner or installer must cut wires to their proper length, strip the ends, connect bare wires to one another, splice one wire into another, etc. This is extremely labor-intensive, a complaint aired by commercial installers, who may be carpenters or other professional deck installers, and not necessarily electricians. Further, the resulting electrical connections likely will not be waterproof, and may not even be water-resistant. Keeping water or other moisture out of the electrical connections is important, but difficult to accomplish in an outdoor environment. Still further, the connections likely will not be as secure as those prepared in advance in a manufacturing facility.
US. Patent Application Publication No. US2009/0147504 to Teeters discloses devices, systems, apparatus and methods for installing LEDs to glass blocks and tiles. The LEDs are provided as a plurality arranged on a strip, with a pair of electrical conductors extending out each end of the strip. In one embodiment, one end may feature a pair of sockets, and the other end a pair of plugs or prongs, similar to a household extension cord. In an alternate embodiment, there is a pair of sockets on both ends of the LED light strip, and strips are connected together with an adapter placed between, the adapter featuring a pair of prongs extending out both sides (e.g., top and bottom) of adapter. The second embodiment lends greater interchangeability (the LED light strip can be oriented/connected in either direction), but fails to solve the polarity problem, making sure that polarity is correct, something that is critical for LEDs.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,190,978 to Huget discloses an electrical connecting means with identical rotary connections. In one embodiment is a quick-release electrical coupling. The coupling is provided in two parts that are identical and rotate or pivot with respect to each other. The parts can be coupled together when oriented at an acute angle with respect to each other. When so coupled and then straightened out to a linear relationship, the parts are locked together and cannot be pulled apart. When DC circuits are involved, provision is made for ensuring correct electrical polarity. But the design of this system is complex, and the average do-it-yourselfer or deck contractor would prefer connectors that simply plug together in a linear fashion, and not at an acute angle. Further, the pivoting capability of Huget is not needed in the present lighting application.
The instant invention addresses and solves these problems.